I'll Be Here
by Chieco
Summary: Venusian Princess, Minako, comes to the Lunar Palace and accepts her duties to Princess Serenity. Already familiar with the Moon and its Princess, Minako tries to understand her fellow guardian protectors. Shoujoai. Ch.4 slightly edited!
1. Chapter 1:Farewells, and Greetings

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, nor do I claim to. Naoko Takeuchi does.

Venusians were known for their captivating beauty. Blonde hair or blue eyes usually indicated that one was a child of Aphrodite.

The Princess of Venus, Minako, was not an exception. In fact, she inherited both remarkable traits, something that was neither common nor rare on Venus. Ever since she was young, Minako always looked beautiful. Even after harsh training sessions with her father, Minako was still able to keep her grace as she panted. Her golden hair, reaching her waist, was usually accompanied by a large, crimson bow. Her azure eyes were always looking around, observing her surroundings.

Tonight Minako had put in a special effort to make herself look presentable, much to the chagrin of her mother. A transport shuttle from Mercury should have landed by now. It would send Minako to the Lunar Palace where she would be trained and educated to become one of the Moon Princess' guardian protectors, along with three other girls from their respective planets; Mercury, Mars and Jupiter. Because Mercury and Venus were currently in a transit phase, the Mercurial girl's transport shuttle would also pick Minako up.

Minako often wondered what the other girls would be like since her parents had told her about her duty to Princess Serenity. There were the universal stereotypes, of course, but Minako had met far too many people and listened to too many experiences to know that these stereotypes weren't always true. Just like Venusians weren't all vain and lovesick, the Venusian heir knew that not all Martians were war-hungry and fierce, or Mercurials shifty and self-involved, or Jovians petty and lovers of sex, consensual or not.

Since she was six years old, Minako attended the monthly Lunar balls with her mother and father on a regular basis. Mostly people of high-status and royalty were allowed to attend. During the nine years of attending, she met and befriended many people, regardless of their background or clothing. It was probably these cultural differences that attracted Minako in the first place. She only limited herself to people she would not be able to converse with because of language differences, but usually everyone who attended the Lunar balls were able to speak Lunarian, the universal language, a little, if not fluently. She listened to many different people's life-stories, and had met most of the planets' rulers. Minako was especially close to the Martian Queen, before she died.

Children were allowed to attend, but the Venusian Princess was the only child present at the Lunar balls. Two years after Minako had begun attending, Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess, attended for once. Excited that there was finally another child, and a girl her age at that, Minako greeted the Moon Princess enthusiastically. Serenity was a bit hesitant at first, but soon, Minako's bubbly personality influenced her and she became just as social as the Venusian heir. They became good friends and were always together at the Lunar balls since that was the only time they could see each other.

Dressed in a thin, white dress reaching her knees, Minako exited her spacious bedroom, closing the large, wooden doors for what would probably be the last time. She walked down the high-ceiling hallways, making her way to the spaceport where she would board the transport shuttle and depart Venus. She said her goodbyes to the several guards and maids along the way, becoming sadder with every step. She would probably never see these people or walk down the halls of Magellan Castle ever again.

As she stepped into the spaceport, she was pulled into a tight embrace. "Minako, what was taking so long? The shuttle's waiting."

"Sorry," Minako said as she snuggled deeper into the embrace. "I was just making sure that I looked alright, Mama."

"Silly girl, you'll have plenty of time on the shuttle. It's not that short of a trip," Minako's mother, the Venusian Queen, said. "Now we don't have any time to talk."

"You say it like we're never going to see each other again," Minako laughed. She removed herself from her mother's arms to look up at her. "We'll still see each other at the Lunar balls, right?"

"Yeah, but that's only once a month! That's not nearly enough time to-"

"Ilithiya, she will be late if you keep her any longer," spoke a soft but domineering voice.

The Venusian Queen and Princess turned their heads to the direction of the voice. The owner was an elderly woman, whose cobalt eyes retained their sparkling youth. She was also Minako's grandmother on her mother's side. Melia was her only living grandparent. The only other grandparent Minako had met was her father's father, Maxwell, but he had died when she was a young girl.

Standing to the right of Melia was Thallo, Minako's father. On the other side stood Maxwell, Thallo's elder brother. Both were strikingly handsome men with blonde hair.

"Your mother is right, darling," Thallo said, grinning. "We don't want Minako to be late for her attendance with the Queen."

Ilithiya pouted. "What will a mere hour do to a five-day trip?"

"We would not want the Mercurial Princess to be late either," Melia announced.

"Princess? I didn't know that she was the Mercurial Princess!" Minako exclaimed. "Are the others Princesses too?"

"Yes," Thallo answered.

'_Wow, I'll be able to meet Anseris' daughter!'_ Minako thought.

"Only people of high-status have the honor of gracing the Moon family with their presence," Maxwell said. Minako noted the bitterness in his voice.

"Is Princess Minako ready for departure?" asked a servant.

"She will be right there," Melia said to the servant, watching Ilithiya wrap her arms around Minako once again. "We just want to say goodbye."

"Be careful, okay? You're only fifteen, so don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Ilithiya murmured. "It might be dangerous, so make sure you look after yourself! If you're having any trouble, just tell us and Mama will do something about it! Or if you aren't getting along with the other girls, Mama will-"

"Mama, it's okay! I'll be fine," Minako said, laughing at her mother's overprotective habits. She looked into her mother's cobalt eyes. "Really."

Minako kissed Ilithiya on her forehead and smiled. Ilithiya released her tight hold on her daughter, letting her say goodbye to the rest of the family.

"Goodbye, Papa," Minako said, hugging her father tightly. "You'll have to spoil Mama instead now. Make sure she doesn't get too lonely when I'm gone."

Thallo grinned, kneeling in front of Minako as he kissed her hand. "Of course, sweetheart. Have a safe journey."

"Do not give Artemis and Luna a hard time over there," Melia said, stroking her granddaughter's back. "I know that you and Princess Serenity do that often at the balls."

Minako giggled. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises. It's just too fun."

Melia slightly frowned. "You have to grow up into an elegant, young lady, Minako. You must become mature and-"

"I know, I know," Minako sighed. "Please don't give me a lecture before I leave, grandmother."

She kissed her grandmother on her forehead before turning her attention to her uncle. He kneeled before her, taking her hand in his and kissed it gently. "Take care, princess."

Minako smiled. "Thanks, uncle Maxwell."

The Venusian princess stood before her family, eyes a little misty. "Thank you for everything. I love you all so much!"

Minako boarded the transport shuttle. It was like the other shuttles she had used before when she would go to the Lunar balls except that it was much smaller and had a lesser amount of rooms and facilities. It was still very high-class, which was to be expected of the Moon Kingdom's transport shuttles.

Minako gave her greetings to the attendants on board as she walked past them. She wanted to find the Mercurial Princess; it would be rude of her to not greet the other girl. She also wanted to speak with her as soon as possible. She found the Mercurial Princess seated in one of the passengers' seats, reading a book, which Minako presumed was in Mercurian.

Minako sat beside the girl, smiling. She said, "Hey, I'm Minako. What's your name?"

Minako noted that the Mercurial girl was very pretty. She was petite, had short, blue hair and eyes that looked as deep as the ocean. She had fair skin, and looked a year or so younger than Minako. On her coat was the Mercurian insignia, consisting of a tortoise and a coin pouch. Minako realized that the girl seemed a bit nervous and uneasy.

"Ah, sorry, I forgot!" Minako said, switching to Mercurian. She had learnt a few basics of the other languages during the Lunar balls. "My name is Minako. You?"

The Mercurial princess looked at Minako in surprise. "I am Ami. Do you know how to speak Mercurian?"

"Just a little bit," Minako answered. "Do you speak Lunarian?"

"Yes," Ami replied, speaking in Lunarian. "Will it be easier for us to converse?"

Relieved, Minako said in Lunarian, "Yeah, much easier."

She looked at Ami's book. "What're you reading?"

"'_Cultures and People of the Inner Planets,'_" Ami answered.

"Interesting?" Minako asked.

Ami closed the book, placing it in her lap. "Yes, I suppose."

"You interested in foreign cultures?" Minako asked, trying to get Ami to talk, instead of just merely answering the questions.

Ami nodded her head in response. Minako spoke after a short silence, saying, "Me too. Well, I'm not really one for reading books; I'd rather meet and speak to people from other planets. Have you ever met anybody from a different planet? Like, before me?"

"No, I have not," Ami replied, shaking her head. "This is my first time traveling from my home planet."

Minako found this strange. She had met the Mercurial Queen on a few occasions, at the Lunar Palace during the balls and at her home on Venus, the Magellan Castle. She knew that the Mercurial Queen, and Mercurials in general, loved traveling.

"I've only ever been to the Moon as well. My parents didn't let me to go to the other planets, saying it was unsafe there," Minako said. "Well, they said that only about Jupiter and Earth. I'm not sure why they didn't want me to go to Mercury or Mars, there hasn't been a war on Mars in years..."

Minako waited for Ami to reply, but she merely nodded. Minako continued, "But I've met many people at the Lunar balls. That's where I learned how to speak a little bit of Mercurian, and also Martian, Jovian and Earthian. Do you know how to speak any other languages?"

"I am fluent in all languages," Ami answered.

Minako noted that Ami was not boasting, just answering the question. "Wow, that's amazing! Wait…you can understand Venusian?"

"Oh, that…Sorry, I am not that good with socializing," Ami apologized, lowering her head.

"It's fine, don't worry about it!" Minako said, smiling. She realized that Ami was probably reading that book earlier in order to understand other people better. "We'll be together for a long time anyway."

Ami smiled back. Realizing that the transport shuttle had already taken off, Minako looked out the window to view her home planet one last time. She could still make out her home, the Magellan Castle, in the broad Aino plains, where Minako would often go horse riding with her father.

During the five-day trip, Minako was already able to understand what kind of person Ami was. She had asked Ami about her family on the first day, and never asked about it again. She learnt that the only family member Ami knew was her mother, but the Mercurial queen seemed to be quite the stereotype. She was self-involved and loved traveling, which meant that Ami was often left by herself and neglected. Minako assumed that this lonely upbringing was what caused Ami to be the shy and polite person she was.

* * *

"Your belongings will be carried to your rooms, Princesses Minako and Ami," said one of the attendants as they walked off the transport shuttle. 

"Thanks," Minako said, curtsying. Ami bowed her head low to him in thanks.

"The guards will escort you to the ballroom where you shall meet the Queen."

"Oh, it's fine," Minako said to the guards. "I know my way around here."

She noticed one of the guards give her a stern look. She grinned, saying, "I promise I will go straight there, Duane. No detours."

"Very well," Duane said. Bowing, his white cloak raised a few inches off the floor as Minako walked past.

Ami followed Minako, looking around the palace with keen eyes. She took in every detail of the fine wallpaper and of the white tiles with crescent moons in the center. It was much more elegant in person compared to the books she had read.

They turned a corner and continued walking down to the very end of the hall where a guard on either side of the tall, wooden doors stood. Minako curtsied as the guards opened the doors to let them through.

Minako looked around the ballroom, and saw two girls about the same age sitting on the edge of the stairs. Minako could immediately tell which was Jovian and which was Martian. The Jovian Princess had her brunette hair tied in a ponytail. She wore black, leather boots, overlaying her thick pants, and a dark green coat, holding the Jovian insignia; an eagle and thunderbolt. The Jovian Princess was indeed beautiful. The Martian Princess wore similar clothing, except that it was all in black. The Martian insignia, also on her coat, showed a wolf and an eagle owl on a shield. The Martian Princess had dark, elegant hair, reaching her waist, and sharp, violet eyes. _She looks just like Anseris,_ Minako thought.

Minako realized that she was not wearing the Venusian insignia and mentally slapped herself. Her grandmother would be yelling at her for not taking pride in her Venusian heritage if she was here. She noticed that the Martian and Jovian Princesses were much more heavily dressed than herself and Ami. She guessed that they must be hot in their clothing, seeing as how the Moon was probably much warmer than their home planets. Minako herself felt a bit cold; Venus was the warmest planet, despite Mercury being much closer to the sun.

Minako smiled at them, and spoke in Lunarian, "Hey, I'm Minako."

She looked to Ami, who bowed politely, saying, "My name is Ami."

The Martian princess introduced herself. "I'm Rei."

Minako curtsied, looking into Rei's dark eyes. Rei smiled courteously. Minako turned to the Jovian Princess.

"I'm Makoto."

"Nice to meet you," Minako said. "Are you both fluent in Lunarian?"

"I'm alright, I guess," Rei answered.

Makoto said, "Not really."

Minako smiled sympathetically. "Then, we'll just have to get Ami to teach you! She's really smart, you know! She knows how to speak all-"

"Minako!" exclaimed a voice. "You're here!"

Minako turned around and saw the Moon Princess, Princess Serenity, running towards her, followed by her mother, Queen Serenity, and advisor, Luna (currently in human form). Princess Serenity hugged Minako tightly, saying, "It's so good to see you again!"

Minako hugged her back, and as the Queen approached them, she saw the others kneel down before the Queen in respect. She pulled back from Serenity's hug, and followed suit.

"You may stand, Princesses of the Inner Planets," Queen Serenity said, elegantly. As the princesses stood, she continued, "We are pleased that you have graced Us with your presence. Do you accept your duties as guardians to My Daughter?"

"Yes," the Inner Planets' Princesses answered, firmly.

"You understand that you are to forever be in My Daughter's service, and you are willing to put Her safety above your own, if needs be?" the Queen inquired. "Above any allegiance to your planets, your religions, your families or any other persons you may hold dear?"

"Yes."

* * *

After Queen Serenity said all that she needed to say, she and Luna left the ballroom, leaving Princess Serenity with her new guardians. 

"Ahh, that took forever!" Serenity groaned. "Mother is so formal, and speaks far too much."

"Hey, it was an important matter," Minako pointed out. "Anyway, have you greeted the others yet?"

"No, but I was about to!" Serenity mumbled. She faced the other Princesses, and said, "Hi, I'm Serenity!"

Minako moved to Serenity's side, holding her arms and making her curtsy. "It's _'I am Princess Serenity. I leave myself in your care.'_"

Serenity pouted. "Why must you criticize everything I do?"

"It is my duty to watch over you and correct you in your manners so that you will develop into a fine, young lady," Minako said, mockingly. "Pff, like you'd ever grow up to-"

"Minako!"

"Hey, hey, let them introduce themselves properly, Serenity."

Serenity turned to the others, who had remained silent and watched Minako tease their Princess. She smiled at them. Rei was the first to speak.

"My name is Rei. It is my honor to serve you, Princess Serenity."

"No, no! Not so formal! Serenity is fine."

Rei nodded her head. Ami introduced herself politely, with a little push from Minako. Makoto greeted Serenity, awkwardly. It seemed that the Jovian Princess really was new in speaking Lunarian.

Minako sat down on the stairs, looking up at the people around her. Serenity sat beside her.

Silence ensued.

Minako coughed. "Anyway…is this is your first time here in the Lunar Palace?"

Rei and Makoto nodded their heads. Rei said, "This is the first time I've ever been away from my home planet."

"That's the same with Ami! What about Makoto?" Minako asked.

"Yeah, same here."

It became quiet once again. Trying to start another conversation, Minako turned to Rei and Minako, saying, "Both of you look very much like your mothers."

"You've met my mother?" Rei asked, incredulously.

Minako nodded her head. "Yup, I used to talk to her a lot at the Lunar balls when I was younger. She told me that she had a very cute daughter a year older than me. She'd tell me many stories about herself, and you too."

"I see…"

"She also gave me this bow when I told her it looked pretty," Minako continued. "She was very kind."

"I never saw you speaking with anybody," Serenity mentioned. "You were always with me."

Minako said, "This was before you attended the Lunar balls. And, I did not only speak with you. You probably didn't notice while you were devouring all the deserts."

Serenity looked to Rei and the others. "I wasn't devouring th-"

"Oh, come on," Minako said, laughing. "I had to practically leave a trail of deserts if I wanted you to leave the dining room and dance with me. Don't lie."

"Minako, that's not true!" Serenity sulked. "You're the one who'd always stay in the ballroom, dancing and flirting with people _twice_ your age!"

"Hey! I only began flirting last year, okay?" Minako retorted. "And twenty-three is not twice my age!"

"It's close enough!"

"You are just jealous that you can not dance as gracefully as me," Minako said with fake humbleness. She continued, normally, "I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to dance with an older person."

Minako looked forward as she quickly thought over something. She faced Serenity, saying, "As long as they're attractive, of course. If they're ugly, there's no way I'm letting you dance with them."

Serenity broke her intense stare at Minako, turning to look at Rei and the others. "See, Minako's just like all Venusians. Ill-tempered, flirty and vain."

"And you are nothing like the elegant and graceful people of the Moon. You're loud, cheeky-"

"All of which I got from you!".

"And a glutton," Minako finished her sentence.

Serenity gasped, exaggeratedly. She stood up suddenly, looking down on Minako. "I am appalled that you think so of me."

The other Princesses watched Serenity as she began walking up the stairs, haughtily. Upon reaching the top, she said, "I bid you ladies a good evening."

"Sweet dreams, Princess!" Minako shouted after her, laughing to herself. She felt the puzzled stares on her from her comrades, and said, "Don't mind us; we're only joking."

After a moment's thought, she added, "But she really is a glutton."

Ami and Makoto nodded their heads. There was a moment's silence before Minako said, "Sit down if you want."

Ami sat beside Minako, placing her hands in her lap. Makoto sat down on Ami's other side, and Rei remained standing.

"Do you remember the name of the woman you believed was my mother, Minako?" Makoto asked, slowly, still adjusting to the foreign language.

Minako answered, after thinking hard, "Sorry, I don't. I only met your parents on few occasions. They didn't attend the Lunar balls often, right?"

"Yeah, Jupiter is far away. It's a long journey to get here," Makoto answered. "Took me about eighteen days."

"Whoa, that long? My trip was five days and I was bored out of my mind!" Minako exclaimed. "Ah, not that you're boring, Ami! I just don't like being stuck indoors for long periods, really!"

"It is alright. I was a bit bored too, to be honest," Ami said, shyly. "But I am glad that you were on board my transport shuttle."

Minako smiled. She looked to Rei. "Were you in the same shuttle as Makoto?"

"No, her shuttle's course didn't pass my planet. I left eleven days ago," Rei answered.

"Oh, I see…were you bored?" Minako asked. "I would've been lonely if I was all by myself on a trip. Well, there'd be the attendants and pilots, but they were always busy so I couldn't talk to them."

"I'm used to it," Rei replied.

Minako recalled one of her last conversations with Rei's mother, the Martian Queen.

* * *

_"How come your family doesn't come with you to these balls?" asked an eight-year old Minako. "They're missing out on a lot of fun."_

_Anseris smiled and stroked Minako's hair. "Rei doesn't like traveling in the transport shuttles. She says it makes her feel sick."_

_"What about your husband? Why doesn't he come?_

_"Barrex is a very busy man."_

_Minako asked, "What's so important that he can't come with you?"_

_"Well, there is a very big fight happening on Mars right now, and Barrex is doing his best to stop it," Anseris said, putting it in more simpler terms for Minako._

_"Oh…" Minako thought for a moment. "So, after the fight has stopped Anseris' husband will come?"_

_"Most likely, he won't," Anseris said._

_"What, why not? I want to meet him!" Minako said, sincerely._

_The Martian Queen smiled, touched by the Venusian Princess' openness. "Though Barrex is my husband, it was an arranged marriage; he does not love me."_

_Minako remained quiet as she took this in. "You love him, but he doesn't love you…why? That's not nice."_

_"Sometimes the person you love is just too different from you and does not understand your feelings."_

_"But, but…that's too sad."_

_Anseris smiled sadly. "Yes, it is."

* * *

_

Looking up at the Martian Princess, Minako wondered what had happened to Rei after her mother died. From what Minako knew, the Martian King was not much of a family lover. Rei must have been neglected too, just like Ami was. Minako looked to Makoto, wondering what her childhood was like. She remembered her meetings with the Jovian King and Queen. They seemed friendly enough, though they did not talk much about their lives on Jupiter. Well, she would leave the family topic alone; she had a feeling that it was a touchy subject for each of the Princesses.

Minako noticed Ami yawn politely, covering her mouth with her hand. She herself felt a little tired from the long journey. "You guys tired?"

They nodded their heads. "Let's go to our rooms."

Minako began walking up the stairs, before stopping midway, realizing that the others were not following her.

Rei asked, "Do you know where they are?"

"Uhh, well, I know where the dormitories are, but I'm not sure if that's where we'll be staying," Minako replied. She continued a little more optimistically,"But we can just ask the guards or servants on the way."

Ami and Makoto began walking up the stairs. When they stood by Minako's side, she asked, "You coming, Rei?"

Rei did not reply or move. Minako said, smiling, "We won't get lost, I promise."

Still Rei did not respond. Minako frowned at Rei's distrust. "If you're unable to trust me to take you to your room, I can't see how we'll ever get along if we're in a battle together."

Rei stood there for a moment, before complying and began walking up the stairs. Minako smiled, turning around and proceeded to the dormitories. She could not think of anywhere else in the Lunar Palace in which they would be staying. She hoped she was right; otherwise she would not be able to befriend the Martian Princess as easily.

* * *

A/N: Um, Rei's mother's and Minako's family's names are all places on Venus and Mars. Rei's father's name is taken after one of the many epithets of the Roman God, Mars. Barrex means "Supreme One." Or something like that. And on the planet Venus, there is an actual Aino Planitia (Planitia is Latin for plain).

Also, the planets each have their own God/dess; Aphrodite, Hermes, Ares and Zeus because they are the Greek counterparts of the Roman God/dess, which the planets are named after. The people of their planets have some things in common with their God/dess (i.e., the "universal stereotypes"), or whatever role They had or whatever things They did in mythology (like Ares being a war god; Hermes being a protector of travelers; Aphrodite was a bit vain and ill-tempered; and Zeus slept around a lot, sometimes forcefully). The planets' insignias are all symbols of importance to the Greek (and Roman, I suppose, seeing as how they're both very similar) Gods and Goddesses. I mentioned but didn't describe the Venusian insignia; it consists of a dove holding a rose, seated in a lime tree. All three symbols are of some significance to the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite. The same goes for the other insignias, though each for their respective God.

…Sorry for the long and boring notes; that will be the only time I'll ramble about such trivial matters. Anyway, thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think about it. It's my first time. Wait...That sounds wrong, lol. xD


	2. Chapter 2:Day One

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, nor do I claim to. Naoko Takeuchi does.

Seated at the long dining table, Minako tried to concentrate to Serenity's surprisingly intelligible ranting, despite the amount of food in her mouth, rather than the intense stares the Martian Princess would send her way frequently. She smiled at Serenity, pointing out her terrible table manners. She turned to her plate, picking up her last strawberry and was about to pop it into her mouth before she had let her eyes wander about, catching Rei's eyes once again. Even after realizing that Minako was looking her way, Rei continued her glaring. Minako looked back, frustration evident on her face.

'_What is her problem?'_ Minako thought, after Rei had placed her attention back onto her meal, which had hardly been touched. _'She's been giving me death stares all morning!'_

The night before, Minako had brought the others to the dormitories, which was indeed the rooms where they would staying. After confirming with a guard that they would be staying in the dormitories, Minako began walking before the guard stopped her, telling her that it was on the other side of the Palace. Minako apologized profusely as they followed a called upon servant to the dormitories. Ami and Makoto assured her that it was all right, but Rei remained silent, walking past the stairways leading down to the ballroom. As Minako entered her bedroom, she saw Rei glaring intensely at her before entering her own bedroom. At that moment, Minako thanked Aphrodite that Rei was only in the room across from her, and not in Makoto's room, which shared a bathroom with hers.

She sighed, strawberry still in hand. _'It was _one_ mistake, my bad.'_

"You okay, Minako? You're not listening to me," Serenity said.

Minako quickly turned to Serenity, saying, "I'm fine. Sorry."

"What happened?" Serenity asked.

Minako retracted her hand holding her strawberry from Serenity's wandering one. "Nothing. Why?"

"That girl's been giving you death stares all throughout breakfast."

"'_That girl?'_" Minako repeated. "She has a name, you know."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Why has _Rei_ been looking at you like that?" Serenity asked, emphasizing the Martian Princess' name. "It's kinda scary."

"Isn't it?" answered Minako, eating her strawberry.

"What did you do?" Serenity asked.

Minako frowned slightly at the accusation. "Nothing, I just sorta got us lost last night. That's all."

Serenity made an interested sound, and was about to speak before Minako changed the topic. "She hasn't eaten much, has she?"

Serenity looked two seats further down the table where the Martian Princess sat besides Makoto. She frowned in disgust, saying, "I wouldn't eat that stuff either. What _is_ it? It looks like a big blob of-"

Minako slapped her hand slightly. "Manners at the dining table, please."

The Moon Princess looked at Minako, clearly annoyed for being hit. "But seriously, look at it! It looks revolting!"

"Shh, not so loud," Minako warned. She rolled her eyes, thinking, _'Not my fault if she heard that.'_ Minako continued, "Well, it might taste good. Just because it doesn't look good doesn't mean-"

"Then why hasn't she finished it?" Serenity interrupted.

Minako sighed. "I don't know! It's not like you have to eat it. If it worries you that much, then just go and ask her."

Serenity faced Minako, saying, "And get glared at like you? I'm fine, thanks."

Minako did not like being presumptuous like that. She liked to think that Rei was actually a nice person. Maybe she was just in bad mood after her long journey. Anseris did say that Rei did not like traveling in transport shuttles.

* * *

After breakfast, Minako was lead to the training arena, along with Serenity and the others, where Luna and Artemis (both in their human forms) waited for them. The five girls stood before the advisors. Minako smiled at Artemis for the first time upon arrival on the Moon, who in return, smiled back.

"Good morning. We are the Queen's advisors, Luna and Artemis" Luna greeted.

Artemis bowed his head in acknowledgment, before removing a cloth, which was covering a golden tray, to reveal four almost-identical necklaces. As Minako looked more closely, she saw that each necklace was engraved with different symbols. All four symbols were representation of the Inner Planets.

"Wow, they're pretty!" Serenity exclaimed.

"These necklaces will allow you to transform," Luna said as Artemis walked past the Princesses, stopping briefly for each of the guardian protectors to receive their necklaces. "When transformed, you will become much stronger than that of any other person, and your capabilities surpass the average person's by far."

Luna paused as Serenity began whispering to Minako about her necklace. After silencing the girl with a stern look, she continued, "However, that does not mean you are all powerful. You must learn how to wield your mystical powers, and hone them through regular training."

"Please place your necklaces on, if you have not already done so," Artemis said, mainly to Minako, who had let Serenity examine it. After all necklaces rest upon each guardian's chests, he said, "Now, transform."

The training arena became engulfed in several colored lights, and the sounds of splashing water, crackling fire and deafening thunder echoed across the room as they transformed.

Brightness faded away, four transformed guardians, dressed in completely different attire than before, stood in the training arena.

Minako looked down to examine herself, before looking at the others. They all wore the same uniform as her, though in different colors.

"Wow, you guys look so cool!" Serenity said. "But, don't you think your skirt is a bit short, Minako?"

"Wh-Why only me?"

Serenity merely grinned, turning to Luna and Artemis. "So, what mystical powers do they have?" She looked back to her guardians. "Makes me kinda jealous."

Artemis answered, "Their powers are correspondent to their home planets' aspects."

"Ohh, so, Mako is lightning, Rei is fire," Serenity said, as Luna nodded her head, glad that she had been paying attention to her lessons. "Ami is water, and Minako is…love? Wait, what?"

She turned to Minako, and asked, sarcastically, "Exactly how will _'the power of love'_ save me, Minako?"

Embarrassed, Minako answered, "I won't save y-"

Artemis cleared his throat, knowing that what Minako was about to say was only a joke, but it was still wrong to say such things. Minako gave Serenity a quick glare. Serenity stuck out her tongue in return.

Minako folded her arms and pouted. It was not often that Serenity was able to tease her and win. Minako was much more swifter in comebacks, and Serenity was just so easy to tease.

Artemis and Luna sighed in unison at Minako's childish pride. Luna began speaking. "As you all know, there will be a time in which you will encounter enemies and must go in battle in order to protect Princess Serenity. As such, there should be a Leader amongst you. Today, we will select that person through combat."

She had finished her sentence, though Serenity had spoken atop her last few words, saying, "I pick Minako!"

Minako coughed as she choked on nothingness. She turned to Serenity and looked at her incredulously, just as the others were. "Wh-what!"

"This is not a game, Serenity," Luna said.

Minako faced Luna and Artemis. "Isn't it a bit early to be doing this? We hardly know each other, and we already have to fight against each other?"

"Yes," Artemis answered. Seeing that Minako was about to protest, he continued, "That way, it will verify who is the strongest among you."

Minako wanted to object, but she could not think of anything substantial to insist with. The Mercurial Princess could.

"Pure strength does not always qualify a good leader. One must be able to remain calm and think logically under immense pressure, " Ami said. "One must also be able to recognize one's own strengths and weaknesses, and utilize them to their advantage. The same goes for recognizing and exploiting an enemy's strengths and weaknesses."

"Exactly!" Minako said.

Ami continued. "If we engage in battle after knowing and understanding each other, the person with those qualities will emerge victorious."

Minako was amazed by how intelligent Ami was. Clearly, so were the others. Luna and Artemis turned at each other, searching for an answer to Ami's.

"Well, we understand what you are saying," Luna said, unsure. "We shall postpone selecting the Leader."

Minako softly nudged Ami in the side and mouthed, _'Good one.'_

Ami smiled shyly as Artemis spoke. "Then, we shall have you attend language classes for this morning."

Minako saw Makoto's shoulders droop slightly, and smiled sympathetically. Luna said, "But, if I recall correctly, the language instructor is not arriving until this evening."

Minako grinned as she saw Makoto become evidently relieved. Artemis said, "Ah, I did not realize."

He looked over the girls, pausing slightly on Makoto, before looking at Ami. "But you are knowledgeable in all languages, am I correct?"

Ami nodded her head in response. Artemis continued, saying, "Would you mind being the language instructor for the time being?"

Ami nodded her head once again, making Makoto cringe. Minako suppressed her giggles, something in which she was extremely talented at, seeing as how she had played numerous pranks on various people with Serenity. And sometimes (which was quite often) Minako would play tricks on Serenity, much to her own amusement and Serenity's displeasure.

Luna called upon a guard to escort them to the education room. Minako walked faster, leaving Serenity's side, to walk beside Makoto. She grinned at her. "Language isn't your thing, is it?"

Makoto sighed. "No, I'm very bad."

Minako patted her on the shoulder, saying, "It's fine! You've got Ami here to help you!"

Ami turned around, confused at the mention of her name. Minako said, "Make sure you teach Mako well, huh?"

Ami nodded her head, smiling shyly, as Serenity caught up after having realized that Minako had walked ahead of her. Annoyed, she asked, "_'Mako,'_ huh? Since when have you been so close?"

Minako grinned slyly, finding an opportunity to pay Serenity back. "Well, when one shares a bathroom together, there is much that can be close."

Minako wrapped her arm around Makoto's neck, leaning on the taller girl's form, making Serenity and Ami blush. "Jealous?"

"N-No! You know I'm not like that," Serenity said, turning away from Minako.

"That's right," Minako said, removing her arm from Makoto's neck. Smirking, she decided to taunt Serenity a little longer. "You're completely oblivious to this sort of thing, remaining all pure and innocent-"

Serenity gasped, and looked at Minako in shock. "You didn't!"

Minako said nothing in response, letting her smile deceive Serenity.

"But you only just met!"

"It's not true. We haven't done anything," Makoto said, not having enough Lunarian knowledge to explain it in terms that were more sophisticated.

Minako pouted at Makoto. "Don't ruin all the fun, Mako."

After noticing Makoto's expression, Minako stopped pouting and apologized. "Sorry, for using you to tease Serenity."

She realized then at how incredibly rude she was to Makoto, a girl she had just met the previous night. Her Venusian etiquette, pounded into her by her grandmother, took over. With great sincerity, she said, "I had no right in giving you such a name, and using you for my personal entertainment…You certainly don't look the type. I am truly sorry."

Makoto became a bit surprised at Minako's sudden seriousness. She had not taken offense to Minako's words, but she was just uncomfortable being in that situation. Reassuring her, she said, "Its fine. You can call me Mako."

Makoto smiled as Minako sighed in relief. Frustrated at being misled, Serenity pushed Minako slightly, saying, "I almost believed you!"

"Relieved?" Minako asked, grinning.

"I keep telling you, I'm not-"

"Relax, Serenity. You are so not my type anyway," Minako said. Serenity opened her mouth, most likely about to yell at her, but Minako continued, "I promise I'll tell you when I find someone I'm willing to giv-"

"Argh, no!" Serenity cried out. "I don't want to know! Just keep your inclinations to yourself!"

Minako was about to point out to Makoto and Ami that she was not concerned either way, but Rei interrupted, indicating that they had reached the education room. She noticed Rei's scowl.

'_Don't tell me she's against that too!'_ Minako thought, as they entered the room, walking past the guard. She watched Rei as they all sat down._ 'Don't worry; I won't fall for you.'_

She examined the Martian Princess more closely, taking in all the girl's features. Minako unconsciously began staring at Rei, looking at her seemingly soft, white skin. She had just realized how beautiful the Martian Princess was. Her dark hair, bounded by a red ribbon at her nape, was smooth and lustrous. Minako decided that she looked far better with her hair unrestricted, flowing freely.

'_She's got a nice figure, I suppose,'_ Minako thought. But it was not Rei's figure that Minako found most beautiful. It was her dark, violet eyes. The eyes that had only given her disapproving glares, and yet, Minako found herself drawn to them the most.

And those eyes had just caught her staring. _'Whoops.'_

Rei frowned, but turned away to ignore her. Ignoring Rei too, Minako looked to the seat beside her where Serenity had fallen asleep. Rolling her eyes, she glanced two seats down from her left where Ami and Makoto were seated, speaking in both Lunarian and Jovian. She did not want to intrude on Makoto's lesson, knowing that she would most likely be a distraction. Minako faced forward, and sighed. She was bored. Minako looked at Serenity again, but decided not to irritate her.

Minako stood up, and began walking to where Rei sat, not wanting to spend two hours in boredom. She leaned against the table, asking, "Need any help with Lunarian?"

"No, I'm fine," Rei answered.

Minako sat down on the table. "So, what're you going to do for the next couple hours?"

Rei shrugged her shoulders. Minako said, "I see…Sounds interesting. Maybe I'll join y-"

Minako stopped herself as Rei glared at her once again. _'Okay, no sarcastic comments.'_

"So, uhh, is Mars a lot different than here?" Minako asked. In truth, she had already heard about what Mars was like from various Martians and Mercurial travelers at the Lunar balls.

"There are very strong winds on Mars and dust storms happen frequently," Rei answered. "But it is much cooler than here."

Minako nodded her head, unable to think of a response to carry on the topic any further.

They remained silent for a while, hearing parts of Ami and Makoto's discussion. Minako tried thinking of something to say that would make for a decent conversation. She had decided against asking about family the night before, but she found herself contemplating whether she should ask about Rei's father. Was not family the most general topic when talking with a person for the first time?

Minako sighed deeply, giving up. It was unlikely that any of them would ever return to their home planets and speak with their families again anyway. She doubted that any of the others' parents would attend the Lunar balls, so the others would most likely never see their family again. She was glad that her parents attended almost every month, unless there was something else scheduled.

"Oh, yeah, the next ball is on at the end of next week!" Minako said, remembering. "Do you dance?"

"Not really," Rei answered. "Dancing isn't very common on Mars."

"Dancing is the best, I love it!" Minako exclaimed. She smiled to Rei, "I could teach you if you want."

Rei smiled a bit, shaking her head. Minako insisted, "Come on, it's really fun!"

Still Rei declined. Minako said, "That way you won't embarrass yourself when you have to dance."

"I'm not dancing," Rei declared.

"So, what, you're just going to reject every person who asks to dance with you?" Minako asked. "You can't say no to everybody."

Rei scoffed, still refusing. "And why would anyone want to dance with me?"

Minako smirked at the opening. "You're a very pretty girl."

Rei's eyes widened, dropping her mouth slightly. Highly amused, Minako continued. "A pretty girl like yourself won't remain unasked at a ball, I can assure you."

Minako could not suppress her mirth any longer as the slightest shade of pink tinged Rei's cheeks. Rei glared at Minako, though it was not as effective as earlier occasions. Unfazed, Minako thought, _'She's fun to tease as well.'_

After her laughter had settled down, she said, "We'll have to attend these balls anyway. Just let me teach you."

Not letting Rei answer, which Minako presumed would still be a rejection, she turned to her left where Ami and Makoto were sitting. After calling out their names to get their attention, she asked, "Do you know how to dance?"

Ami and Makoto looked at each other, confused at the seemingly random question, before answering. Minako grinned, focusing on Ami. "Looks like you'll have to teach Mako how to dance as well!"

Ami nodded her head slowly, still not following Minako. "But, what is it for?"

"The Lunar ball next week!" Minako exclaimed. "It's going to be so much fun now that you girls are here! Aren't you all excite-"

"You're too loud!" groaned Serenity, raising her head from the table.

"Oh, sorry, Serenity," Minako replied. "I forget about you sometimes."

"What?" Serenity shouted. "You're supposed to be my guardi-"

"I'm joking! You know I'd never forget about you," Minako said. "You need to relax. You're going to become uptight like Luna one of these days."

Serenity sighed, not having the energy to retort back. "What were you yelling about before?"

"Just about the next ball," Minako answered. "Me and Ami are going to teach Rei and Mako how to dance."

"I said I wasn't dancing!"

"Good luck to you, Rei," Serenity said, resting her head upon her arms. "Minako's a perfectionist, it's going to be torture."

* * *

"Hey, Ami," Minako said, turning to her right where the Mercurial Princess sat. "Let's teach them after."

"Um, okay," Ami answered. "But Rei has already finished her dinner and left."

"What?" Minako looked to her left, past Serenity and Makoto, to see Rei's empty seat. "Where'd she go? She's running away, isn't she?"

Serenity said, "Good girl, she listened to my advice."

Minako ignored Serenity, looking back to Ami. "Well, I'll find her somewhere. Meet us in the ballroom in half an hour. Ah, I need to change my clothes…You too."

She examined Makoto's clothing. "Mako, we're going to dance after dinner, so put on a dress later."

Makoto asked, "Do I really have to learn how to dance?"

"Yes!" Minako said. "But it's fun. You'll love it!"

"You think everyone loves dancing," Serenity said.

Minako stood up, and began walking to the door. "Just eat your dinner, Princess."

"I hope that Rei is terrible at dancing!" Serenity called after her.

Minako left the dining room, walking to the dormitories. She guessed that Rei was probably in her bedroom. Upon reaching her destination, she knocked on Rei's door. After no response, she knocked again, more repeatedly this time. "Rei, it's time to go danc-"

The door opened, and Rei stood before Minako, wearing a strange-looking, leather hat and a heavy, woolen coat. "Why are you so persistent?"

"You can't dance in that," Minako said, ignoring the question. "Ami and Mako are waiting for us."

"I am busy."

Minako looked past Rei, examining her bedroom. It was very much like hers, before she had decorated with her own colors and things. It seemed that Rei either did not care about decorating her bedroom, or that she was too _busy_ to decorate it. "Busy doing what?"

Minako looked back at Rei, and could see that the Martian Princess was growing impatient.

"You are very nosy, you know that?" Rei said. Not letting Minako retort back, she continued, "And if you must know, today is the Suovctaurilia-"

She paused at Minako's confused expression. "A festival on Mars, so I'm praying to my God."

"Ohh," Minako said. "Is that why you're wearing that?"

Rei nodded her head. Minako asked, "Aren't you hot?"

"It is the appropriate clothing for prayer," Rei replied.

Minako made an interested sound. Recalling that Mars was a very religious planet, she asked, "So, were you a priestess back on Mars?"

Rei answered, "I was the Flamen Martialis."

"I see," Minako said, trying to remember if she had heard of that before. "Wait, isn't 'Flamen" the Head Priest or something?"

"Yes."

"I didn't think that a girl could become a Flamen," Minako said. "And so young. Wow! You must be really good at…praying."

Minako was not very educated with religion, especially of other planets. On Venus, the festivals held for Aphrodite were more for entertainment. Aphrodite was a very laidback and free-spirited Goddess. Priestesses would have intercourse with men in Her temples and shrines in worship to Aphrodite. Eventually, it became normal for any woman who wanted to give thanks or pray to Aphrodite to have intercourse with a man.

"Well, I'll leave you to it then," Minako said. "But you're going to dance with me tomorrow."

Rei sighed as Minako waited for an answer. "Fine."

"Good," Minako said, smiling. "Bye."

"Bye," Rei said, before closing her bedroom door.

Minako began walking down the hallway, about to go to the ballroom, before she met Ami and Mako as she turned a corner. "Oh, hey. Rei's busy so can we do it tomorrow? Well, you two can still do it if you want."

Makoto answered, rather hastily, "It's okay. We'll wait."

"You really don't want to do it, do you?" Minako asked. "You don't want to embarrass yourself, right? Who knows, there might be somebody interesting at the balls."

"You're really persistent, you know that?" Makoto laughed. "I'll learn, okay?"

Makoto waited for a response. "Minako?"

"Oh! Okay, good," Minako said suddenly, as if she was just thinking over something. "Well, I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll see you girls in the morning."

Minako bid Ami and Makoto goodnight and walked back to her bedroom. She took off her clothes, dressing into her white nightgown. She turned off the light, walking to the oversized bed.

Lying in her bed, Minako thought over the things that happened that day. She had just realized many bad qualities in her, pointed out by Serenity and Rei, with Makoto repeating what Rei had said.

* * *

A/N: I actually do have some more rambling for this chapter, but if you're not interested you don't have to read any further. Thank you for reading!

The _Suovctaurilia_ is an actual festival for the Roman God, Mars. It was celebrated every five years. The _Flamen_ were the Head Priests of a Roman God or Goddess. So, in this case, _Martialis_ is for Mars. The hat Rei was wearing is called an _apex_, and the woolen coat is called a _laena_…I summed up the basics of what they look like in the chapter. And priestesses of Aphrodite (or maybe Venus, I'm not sure) really did have intercourse with men in worship to Aphrodite (or Venus).


	3. Chapter 3:Awareness

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor do I claim to. Naoko Takeuchi does.

I'll Be Here

Chapter Three: Awareness

The Venusian Princess and the Moon Princess were walking aimlessly on the vast grounds of the Lunar Palace. They had passed numerous guards who surrounded the Palace, ensuring safety of the Moon family, and of the royal princesses residing in the Lunar Palace. Their white leather uniforms remained untainted from moon dust, with their capes swaying gently in the slight breeze.

Strangely, the two blonde-haired princesses were calm and quiet. Minako's constant teasing often caused Serenity to shout in reply, mostly from irritation, and sometimes embarrassment. Now, they were just merely speaking with each other about simple things as they wandered the Palace grounds.

In their peaceful silence, Minako's thoughts from the previous evening to resurface, causing her to once again ponder over them. Facing forward, she said, softly, "Hey, Serenity?"

"Hmm?"

"Am I…" Minako began slowly. "Am I…"

Minako struggled to voice her concerns. Changing her question, she asked, "Do I…have a bad personality?"

Serenity quickly turned to look at her friend's expression. She could tell that something was troubling Minako with her voice alone. Her strange question only served to gain Serenity's concern even more. "Of course not! Why?"

Minako remained silent for a few seconds, before facing Serenity and answering her. Forcing a smile, she said, "It's nothing."

After studying Minako's face, Serenity frowned concernedly. "It's not _'nothing.'_ There's something wrong."

Minako's smile disappeared as she turned away from Serenity, looking forward. As she remained silent, clearly not wanting to reply, Serenity said, "Please tell me, Minako."

With a small sigh, Minako let her eyes droop. They were not wide and bright as they normally were, revealing instead a hint of melancholy. "I've just realized that…I have some bad qualities. I can say rude things, without even realizing it. I tend to force things on other people; I'm really pushy and inconsiderate of other people's personal space. And…I'm really stubborn. I also enjoy teasing people a lot…I even-"

"Where's this all coming from, Minako?" Serenity asked. Because Minako had paused so many times, Serenity could have said something earlier. But she had let Minako continue, wanting to hear what she had to say until listening to Minako list all of her _"bad qualities"_ became upsetting. With utmost sincerity, the Moon Princess said, "Nobody can be perfect, and even if you were, it wouldn't change the way I feel about you. I love _all_ of you."

After having let the words sink in, Minako, extremely touched, genuinely smiled to Serenity in gratitude. Serenity smiled back, happy to see that Minako was all right now, before hugging her.

Grinning, Minako said, "Even when I tease you?"

Serenity was surprised that Minako was already able to use her own words against her and tease her. Sighing as she released her hold on Minako, she answered, "It gets really annoying, and embarrassing, sometimes, but-"

"Would you like me to stop?"

Serenity stared at Minako, unbelieving. "Like you'd just stop if I asked you to."

Ignoring Minako's giggles, Serenity continued, "But anyway, that's our thing. You tease me, I complain, and then get you back-"

"_Try_ to," Minako corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Serenity replied, facing forward.

Minako smiled sincerely. "Thank you."

Noticing the sincerity in Minako's voice, Serenity looked back at her and saw the same sincerity on her face. "It's fine! I don't like you being upset, it's kinda scary since you're _always_ teasing me."

Minako laughed as Serenity continued, "Like I said, nobody's perfect. I'm sure that even _I _have imperfections."

Minako laughed even harder at Serenity's sarcasm, saying, "So you finally admit that you're a glutton, huh? Took you long enough…"

Seeing Serenity's expression, Minako quickly added, "I'm joking."

Serenity decided to slide and not retort back. Continuing their walk around the Palace grounds, they passed by the large gardens, filled with numerous species of flowers native only to the Moon. They saw the Jovian Princess, faced away from them, who was currently occupied with a yellow-colored flower. As they approached her, Serenity said, "Hi, Mako!"

Makoto turned around, a bit startled but she smiled when she realized whom it was. "Hello, Serenity, Minako. What were you doing?"

"Nothing much. Just out for a walk," Serenity answered.

Minako bent over, examining the yellow flower Makoto was earlier, touching its bunched, yellow petals with her fingers. "Do you like flowers, Mako?"

Minako looked up at Makoto, who nodded her head. Minako asked, "Are flowers common on Jupiter?"

"No. There's huge forests, but there's nothing but trees and green plants," Makoto replied. "My mother loves flowers so she imported some, and made her own garden."

"Would you help her?" Serenity asked.

Makoto answered, a bit sadly, "Yeah, that's all we'd ever do. It was fun."

Noticing Makoto's sadness, Minako and Serenity decided to pull away from the family topic. Minako said, "I actually don't know much about flowers, and Serenity probably doesn't either-"

"I do!" Serenity interrupted. She mumbled, "A little…"

"Then, what's that flower?" Minako asked, pointing to a random flower. Its petals, each flower varying in color, did not spread out, but formed a bulb shape.

Serenity stared at the flower, struggling to think of its name, causing Minako to roll her eyes. Serenity gave up, and looked at Makoto. "What kind of flower is it?"

* * *

Exiting the training arena from their first training session, the guardians were greeted by Serenity who was waiting for them. They began their walk back to their dormitories, wanting to bathe themselves from their sweat, as Serenity asked how their training session went.

All four were skilled in some form of combat, but they all had little experience with the elemental powers that only they as guardians had. Ami and Rei were the only ones able to have slight control over their powers. For Ami, it was due to the fact that water was much more stable and less spontaneous than the other elements, but more importantly her intelligence. Fire was a large component of Martian religion, so as the _Flamen Martialis_, Rei had had a familiarity with the Holy Flame of Ares. Makoto's element, lightning, was powerful, but erratic, making it difficult to manipulate. But it was even more complicated for Minako to wield her elemental power, as it had no physical form.

"And what about you, Minako?" Serenity asked, grinning. "How's your _'power of love'_ coming along, hmm?"

Minako tightened her lips, not having anything to reply with, beginning to get embarrassed. Serenity took great delight in having finally found something she could tease Minako with. She continued, "Tell me again how _love_ will save me."

Minako's cheeks became pink as she blushed. She quickly searched through her brain, trying to think of a comeback. Finding one, she grinned, even though it would be at her own expense. "Well, Serenity, I'm just going to have to seduce all those enemies with my-"

Minako stopped upon seeing Serenity's embarrassed complexion, and began laughing.

"Minako! Why are you so-"

"I'm going to wash up first," Minako said, walking ahead. Noticing Rei's glare, she rolled her eyes, and continued walking.

* * *

The five young Princesses were seated at the dining room, eating their dinners. Serenity had chosen to speak mainly with Makoto for that meal. Serenity's ranting was hard enough for Minako to keep up with, let alone Makoto, who was not as familiar with Lunarian. Minako, who was currently talking with Ami, noticed Rei stand up, heading towards the exit. Minako called her name, gaining the Martian Princess' attention. "Are you ready?"

Rei looked at her, puzzled, before asking, "For what?"

"Dancing, of course!" Minako said, standing up. "Come on, let's get dressed!"

She looked down at Ami and Makoto, saying, "Is it okay if we go ahead?"

They both nodded their heads. Ami said, "We will come as soon as we have finished eating."

Minako walked to Rei's side, smiling, and said, "Make sure you get dressed too!"

As they walked out of the dining room, Minako asked Rei, "You have dresses, right?"

Rei remained silent for a moment, before answering, "No."

Minako sighed. "I'll lend you one of mine then."

"Is it really necessary?"

"Of course! Dressing up is a whole part of the fun!" Minako exclaimed. She continued, unlocking the door to her dormitory, "And besides, you can't dance with so many layers of clothes and those kind of boots."

Pushing the door forward, she entered her bedroom. She held the door open, waiting for Rei to follow. Rei stayed outside in the hallway, unsure. Minako laughed, and said, "If you think I'm going to jump you or something, you can relax."

Minako turned around, walking to the other side of her bedroom to her wardrobe. Rei stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Minako continued, "Or maybe you're disappointed…"

She looked at Rei, and seeing the glare on her face, she said, "I'm joking! Anyway, come here and pick a dress."

"It's fine. Just give me whatever," Rei replied.

"Okay," Minako said, disappearing into the wardrobe. Raising her voice slightly, she said, "Hmm…I think this one is good."

She reemerged from the wardrobe, with a cheeky smile on her face, holding an extremely frilly, bright pink dress. "How's this?"

Minako giggled as she watched Rei's face become dismayed by the brightness and style of the dress. "I won't make you wear that; don't worry."

She examined it, saying, "Just how did grandmother get this in my luggage?"

She placed the horrid dress back into the wardrobe, and took out another dress. She walked towards Rei, holding out the thin-strapped dress, made out of black satin. "What about this?"

Rei examined it, before giving her approval. "It's nice."

Minako smiled, holding the dress against Rei's body to see if it would fit. "And I'm sure that it will look even nicer on you."

Satisfied with Rei's flustered reaction, Minako handed the dress to Rei. "Come back when you've changed so you can try on some of my shoes."

Rei exited the room, rather hastily, Minako noted. Grinning, she walked back into her wardrobe, searching for a dress for herself. She selected a strapless, pastel orange dress that reached her mid-calves when she held it against herself. It had been one of her birthday gifts from her mother earlier in the year. Minako undressed, leaving only her underwear on, and slipped into the orange dress. After zipping the back up, she walked out of the wardrobe and stood in front of the mirror outside, examining herself. She turned away as she heard somebody, most likely Rei knock on her door. She answered, "Come in."

Minako waited as her door slowly opened, before finally revealing a clearly uncomfortable Rei, barefooted and wearing Minako's black dress. Minako's eyes scanned over Rei's body, taking in her attractive figure. Minako had matured early, and most impressively, so despite their one-year age difference, Rei could fit into Minako's dress without it being tight in particular areas. Compared to other Martians, who had a stocky build, Rei was actually rather petite.

"You look really good," Minako complimented as Rei closed the door.

"Th-Thanks…" Rei murmured.

"Okay, come here," Minako said, entering her wardrobe once again. "Hopefully you can fit into my shoes as well."

Minako crouched over, looking at her numerous shoes. Feeling Rei's presence behind her, she handed her a pair of shoes. Minako chose another pair for herself, and put them on, asking, "Do they fit?"

Rei stood up, putting pressure on her feet. She winced, and lifted up her right leg behind, taking the shoe off. "No, it's too tight."

Rei took off the other shoe, and placed them back on the floor where Minako had taken them. Minako scanned over her shoes, and picked a pair of black high heels. She handed it to Rei. "What about them?"

After putting on the shoes, Rei said, "Yeah, they fit…"

Minako waited, expecting Rei to say something else. Not receiving anything more, she said, "Let's go then!"

Rei followed Minako out of the bedroom, putting in effort with every step. Minako noticed that Rei was lagging behind, so she stopped and turned around. Watching Rei as she caught up with her, she realized what it was, and began giggling. "Not used to high heels?"

Rei frowned, slightly embarrassed. "I told you before that dancing wasn't common on Mars."

"Hey, don't you wear high heels when you're transformed as well?" Minako asked.

Rei grumbled in reply as they walked down the stairs. Minako said, "Don't worry about it; you'll get used to them!"

As they entered the ballroom, Minako asked, "So, do you have any idea of how this works?"

Rei shook her head. Minako said, "Well, basically you just have to follow my lead."

Minako walked onto the middle of the dance floor, waiting for Rei to join her. Smiling, she said, "Come on, Rei! It's really not that hard. I can even do it by myself!"

Rei watched Minako as she held her right hand up to the side, and had her left arm positioned as if there were somebody standing with her. With that invisible person, Minako began moving gracefully to the imaginary traditional music. She looked completely different compared to her usual irresponsible self. Rei found herself engrossed with Minako's elegant movements. For the first time, Rei acknowledged the Venusian Princess.

"See?" Minako said as she moved closer to Rei. "It's easy."

Minako stopped in front of Rei, and held out her hand. She smiled as Rei took her hand in hers. The Venusian Princess wrapped her arm around the Martian Princess' slender waist possessively.

And they danced.

* * *

A/N: No (mythology/Latin) ramblings for this chapter, yaay! The first flower (yellow) was a carnation. They can vary in color too, but I just chose yellow. And the bulb-shaped flowers were tulips. I'm actually not that happy with this chapter, so I must apologize. I have no knowledge on flowers so it was hard for me to write about them. And also fancy dresses/shoes and ballroom dancing; I'm not old enough to be into that sort of thing (though I'll probably end up taking dancing classes since my mother's been saying it for aaages). I'm sorry for this chapter's shortness, and boringness; It wasn't as much fun to write as the first two. But I'll try even harder on the next chapter. Thank you for reading! 


	4. Chapter 4:The Leader

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon nor do I claim to. Naoko Takeuchi does.

I'll Be Here

Chapter Four: The Leader

The eternally pledged guardians of Princess Serenity, all in their transformed state, stood in the center of the training arena, waiting for Artemis' presence.

Because the Lunar ball was taking place the next day, the Queen required the Leader to be chosen for security reasons. It was announced the day before that the battle-selection of the Leader would commence that day. It would be their first sparring match against each other. The use of both elemental powers and weapons were permitted.

Sailor Mercury analyzed her fellow guardians. Venus and Jupiter still had trouble manipulating their elemental powers, but both had evidently improved since acquiring their powers. Mars, who seemed to be giving glares to Venus, had gained steady control over her element, but it was the Water Guardian herself who had almost mastered hers, being able to manipulate water into its other forms.

Artemis arrived, carrying the Lunar Sword, which would be given to the Leader in acknowledgment. Random pairs were drawn: Mercury versus Jupiter, and Mars versus Venus.

Mars, Venus and Artemis retreated from the center, moving to the outer section of the training arena, leaving Mercury and Jupiter in the center.

"Begin."

* * *

Taking advantage of her strength and Jupiter's weakness in ranged combat, Mercury immediately bounded backwards. "Shine Aqua-"

Fully knowing what Mercury was doing, Jupiter charged forward, both hands gripping tightly onto the hilt of her sword. Mercury managed to evade the oncoming attack, but Jupiter's next strike caused her to defend herself by using the blade of her sword.

Mercury deliberately took on Jupiter's blows with her own blade, to determine her opponent's skill in close combat. Jupiter's strikes were very powerful, making her arms sting with pain each time their swords collided.

Using the cross-guard of her sword, Mercury attempted to disarm Jupiter. But Jupiter's sword, a zweihander, was even more elongated than her own.

After giving the first strike Jupiter backed away from Mercury, but still close enough for close combat. Though the gash in her left arm was throbbing, and blood was dripping down her arm and onto the floor, Mercury kept her hold on her sword with both hands, ready for any oncoming attacks.

Mercury assessed the situation. Despite her extensive knowledge of combat techniques and strategies, and her understanding of body language, which allowed her to predict her opponent's movements, Jupiter's pure strength crushed any chances of winning in close range.

A change in approach was required.

Before Mercury could move backwards to fight in ranged combat, Jupiter went on the offensive again. Mercury's own sword was still centimeters away from piercing Jupiter's chest, while the tip of Jupiter's blade lingered mere inches away from her chest.

Mercury gazed into Jupiter's hazel eyes, before closing her own cerulean eyes as she relinquished, letting her sword fall to the ground.

* * *

"No, it is not necessary," Mercury told the medics who wanted to bring her to the infirmary so the slash on her arm could be healed.

"B-But-"

"I wish to stay here and observe the concluding matches," Mercury said. "I would also like to witness the fast-healing process when in this state."

The medics bowed their heads and exited the training arena. Mercury sat on the floor, before opening her laptop and began typing about her duel against Jupiter, and of Jupiter's fighting style.

Jupiter looked down at Mercury and felt faintly guilty upon seeing the white bandage wrapped tightly around the blue-haired girl's arm.

"Sorry."

Mercury stopped her rapid typing and looked up, slightly confused.

"For hurting you," Jupiter clarified.

"Oh!" Mercury said, surprised. "You need not apologize. We were in battle; it was to be expected."

Mercury smiled in reassurance, receiving a broad grin in return. She returned to her typing.

"It looks like Minako has done something again; Rei's glare is the most intense I've ever seen. She is even glaring at her whilst they fight," Jupiter commented. Her Lunarian had improved vastly in the past two weeks.

"It began this morning when she said something to Rei," Mercury answered. "I was unable to hear what she had said, but clearly it was something that offended Rei."

"Practically everything she says and does annoys Rei in some way," laughed Jupiter.

"It seems that way, doesn't it?" Mercury mused.

Jupiter asked, "Who do you think will win out of those two?"

Mercury looked up from her laptop screen, to observe the current duel between Venus and Mars. Venus had just dodged Mars' _Fire Soul_. Missing its target, the blazing fireball hit the eastern wall of the training arena.

"Venus is rather flexible; none of Mars' attacks have fully hit her," Mercury stated as a beam of light was directed to the Fire Guardian. "As is Mars."

Mars sidestepped, evading Venus' attack. She ran towards Venus, left hand moving to make the symbols to conjure a fireball; gladius wielded in her other hand, ready to strike. Venus blocked Mars' blade with her own blade, before miraculously dodging the fireball.

"And both are almost equally skilled in their swordsmanship," Mercury said as Venus and Mars' swords clashed with each other. "Unfortunately, I am unable to predict who will be the victor."

Venus and Mars stood across from each other, both panting, and both wielding their swords. Neither looked away from their opponent. They were completely focused on each other. Neither was without injury. Both suffered from minor cuts and wounds; burns more specific to Venus. Their battle had gone on much longer than Mercury and Jupiter's because of their equal strength and flexibility.

They lunged forward. The training arena echoed with clangs as metal came in contact with metal.

Eventually, Venus had managed to disarm Mars, forcing the Fire Guardian's sword out from her hand. Mars tried to jump back, but Venus pursued. Pressing her body intimately against Mars' body, Venus pointed the tip of her blade at Mars' throat.

* * *

Shortly after the preliminary round between Venus and Mars ended, the concluding battle commenced: Jupiter versus Venus.

Jupiter immediately went on the offensive, swinging her sword in Venus' direction. Venus defended.

Just as Mercury had realized Jupiter's strength, Venus did too. She blocked Jupiter's blade, before flipping backwards to a significant distance away from her opponent. Venus effortlessly dodged a bolt of lightning, and sent a beam of light towards Jupiter.

The Lightning Guardian barely managed to dodge Venus' attack. Knowing that she would most likely lose in ranged combat against the lithe Guardian of Love, Jupiter charged forward.

Venus lashed out the _Venus Love Me Chain_, wrapping it around the blade of the zweihander. Feeling Jupiter instinctively pull on her sword, Venus smiled. She held enough pressure on her chain, before simply letting go when Jupiter pulled harder. As Jupiter lost balance, Venus leaped forward and held her smallsword at Jupiter's neck.

Seeing no possible means of escaping the Love Guardian's threat, Jupiter surrendered, loosening her grip on her zweihander.

The match was over. The Leader of the Guardians was revealed.

Sailor Venus.

* * *

It was somewhat surprising that Minako had emerged victorious, becoming the Leader of the Guardians. Her usual lighthearted and mischievous mannerisms were a bit misleading, making her seem unfit as Leader. However, it was only Rei who doubted the selection. Makoto, having fought and lost to the Guardian of Love first-hand, recognized Minako's swift thinking and movements. Ami had observed Minako in her matches against Rei and Makoto, and had noticed this too. She had also seen that Minako was indeed capable of strategic logic in the few games of chess she had participated with the Venusian Princess.

* * *

Earlier that day.

"_Argh, no! What if I get a cut or bruise on my face?" exclaimed Minako to Rei as the Guardians walked down the hallway leading to the training arena. "If Mama sees it tomorrow…"_

_Rei stifled her laugh, placing a gloved hand over her mouth. Minako looked at Rei, pouting. "I'm serious! Mama really spoils me; she treats me as if I was a child."_

"_That's probably because of how you act," Rei said, laughing fully, hand no longer covering her mouth._

"_But even she acts like that! Papa really indulged the two of us, leaving Grandmother always to scold us," Minako said, grinning. "I'll introduce you to my parents tomorrow!"_

"_Umm, okay. Thanks."_

_Minako sighed. "But really, why do we all have to fight now?"_

_Rei did not reply, knowing that Minako already knew the answer and was not really asking._

"_I don't see the rush; Serenity has attended the Balls on countless occasions with nothing ever happening to her," Minako said. "Plus, there are already plenty of guards in the Palace. I doubt anything will happen."

* * *

_

When exposed to unfamiliar things that one cannot fathom, or something that defies one's past experiences, a person's primary reaction is disapproval, to judge and criticize.

Rei had grown accustomed to the various different personalities of the other Princesses in the two weeks she had spent living in the Lunar Palace. Having been brought up on the hostile and battle-hungry planet was most likely the reason of Rei's initial annoyance to the Venusian Princess' rather flippant behavior. And it was still this attitude of Minako's that irritated Rei sometimes.

Sitting on the bed of her now fully decorated bedroom, Rei looked at a gold necklace. The colors surrounding her room consisted mainly of various shades of red. The only other color that graced her bedroom was the golden silk that covered her firm, large pillows. Her bed sheets, also made out of fine silk, were scarlet in color. Drapes, thick and crimson fabric, concealed the glass door leading to the porch connected to Ami's. Rei had also requested a fireplace in her bedroom, after having found out that Makoto had had a kitchen installed in her dormitory. The fireplace was rarely used though, as it was the warmer season on the Moon, which was far warmer than Rei had ever experienced on her home planet. But it was just pleasant knowing that she could sit in front of the fire if she ever needed to meditate, as she often did as the Flamen Martialis.

The golden chain was her mother's. Anseris had worn the chain every day until she gave it to her daughter, knowing that she was not going to live much longer. It was a fine, yet simple, chain that she received from Barrex. Being a gift from her father, Rei understood why her mother always wore the necklace, but she found it mystifying that her father actually had given a gift to her mother.

The Fire Guardian knew that her parents' marriage was arranged to help the political standing at the time. Though Anseris truly loved Barrex, it was not because of love that they wed. Barrex never really cared for Anseris; he only saw her as his 'possession'.

* * *

_Apparently the five-year long war on Mars had made the defiant Martians incredibly stupid and much too bold; it was suicide trying to take siege of the mighty Phobos-Deimos Castle. Or rather, the five-year long war had not satisfied their battle-lust._

_However, it seemed that the "_mighty_" Phobos-Deimos Castle was not all that strong after all. The Martian Empire, ruled by Barrex, had lost valuable Commanders and warriors from the suicide attack. It had also lost its Queen._

_The nine-year old Martian Princess watched as her mother was rushed to the infirmary, her entire blouse bloodstained from the large wound on her chest._

_Protesting against the several guards holding her back, Rei followed her mother into the infirmary. Everything seemed to be in fast-motion, watching the medics bound her mother's chest with bandages._

"_The bleeding won't stop!"_

_Rei saw her mother's eyes flicker, going in and out of consciousness._

"_The blade penetrated her lungs!"_

_Rei heard strange flopping sounds, coming distinctively from her mother's chest. Now, it seemed that the medics knew what the Martian Queen was suffering from. The wound was restricted by some sort of airtight bandaging. Rei watched as another medic came forward, and inserted a plastic tube that was connected to a canister with clear liquid into her mother's chest via the wound._

_Rei saw her mother's eyes stop flickering, remaining closed. Though the young Martian Princess seemed unperturbed on the outside, she was extremely terrified. But as she inspected her mother closer, she noticed her mother's chest, though faint, rise and fall periodically._

_In the following twenty-four hours, Rei stayed by her mother's side, along with a medic who was watching over Anseris for any signs of infections or complications. Rei noticed that her mother was bluish. She could see that her mother was very weak; the few times Anseris had been conscious were extremely brief._

_Shortly afterwards, Anseris passed away. Due to hemorrhaging, Rei had overheard the medics say._

_Not once did Barrex come to his wife's side._

_And despite this, Anseris loved him to the end.

* * *

_

"Wow! Those burns healed really fast! Amazing…" Minako said as she examined herself in the mirror, wearing a thin, red, short-sleeved dress. "Hmm, not this dress."

Going back into her wardrobe, she thought, _'Rei seemed extra annoyed with me today…'_

Minako tried to recall of everything she had said to Rei that day, or anything she might've heard for that matter, that would have annoyed the Martian Princess to that extent. Unable to find anything, she brushed it aside. _'I'm probably just paranoid since she was throwing fireballs at me. Anyway, tomorrow's the Lunar Ball! I'll get her to dance with me.'

* * *

_

A/N: Both Makoto and Ami's swords are two-handed, _Zweihander_ being German for _two-handed_, while Minako and Rei's are one-handed. _Gladius_ is Latin for _sword_.

Pneumothorax, which is caused by the collapse of the lung/s, is what Anseris suffered from. It can result from a penetrating chest wound, i.e., sword wound. The flopping sound Rei heard was the punctured lung.

I re-did this chapter because I think I didn't make a few things clear enough the first time around. Not that much of a change, though. I will work on chapter five later this week. Also, looking for a beta-reader, so just send me a message or give me a contact address if you're interested. Thanks for reading!


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